Guest Author - Raymond F. Hanisco

A READER ASKS THE COIN GUY

Hi,

I went to google.com, typed in numismatists and found your article on pennies.
I emptied out my car ashtray and was sorting the pennies from the other coins and came across a penny that was different than any penny I have ever seen. I think the date is 1968, but can't be sure because the date doesn't completely show. The last number is also lower than the first 3 in the date. The penny is smaller than normal pennies and has a real thick "rim" around it. The word liberty on the left side of Lincoln just says "berty", and you can't read the "In God We Trust" at the top at all. On the back, the words "United States of America" is covered up a bit on the top of the letters.
The image of Lincoln is strange, almost like smooth chocolate that is just beginning to melt a bit. It's like someone used it as a worry stone, if you know what those are. Do you have any information on this particular penny?
No hurry, but I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you,

Shirlee

THE COIN GUY RESPONDS

Hi Shirlee --

Oops! Another coin with an error slipped through the mint's quality control. Shirlee, the coin you described is not a variety of the Lincoln Cent, but rather, what is called an error coin. An error coin is when there was a mistake made in the minting process and the finished coin doesn't look like it was meant to be. Most of them are caught and culled out before they leave the mint, but occasionally one sneaks through. That is what you have. From your description, it sounds like the planchet (coin blank) wasn't seated properly when the coin was struck. There is a whole wide variety of errors, and they are all one of a kind, in other words, no two look exactly alike.

Ten to 15 years ago, almost no one collected error coins. In the past few years, errors in Numismatics have taken on a life of its own. It has become big business. A friend of mine, Fred Weinberg, is considered one of the leading experts on error coins. To view all the different kinds of error coins available on the market, visit Fred's website www.FredWeinberg.com.

Thanks for writing,

Ray Hanisco